


Tales of the Ranch

by Deziac



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Drinking, Dysfunctional Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Issues, Implied Sexual Content, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2018-07-10 12:34:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6985345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deziac/pseuds/Deziac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With all the family drama around Stardew Valley, who knew the most quiet family was actually not even a proper family? This about Shane, the depressed alcoholic,  Marnie, the woman whose insecurities are hidden behind her farm animals. and Jas, who is so sweet and intelligent, why isn't she with her parents? This is about their love for each other, and how it's stronger then their hate for anything else. (Even pickles and poppies)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shane

It’s funny how people seem to fade in the background or stand out in your mind. 

You may forget your ex boyfriend from high school, but boy, the bus driver you met twice who had the biggest smile on the earth left an imprint. You don’t remember the musk of the shady car as you lost your virginity, or even the color of his eyes, but the leathery seats of the bus and the soft crone of the driver’s voice, as he drove you home telling you about his pet dog Polly during that rainy day was something that came flooding back every rainy day. Was it because you never had any bad memories of the driver? But sure, you’ve had more good memories with your ex then with this bus driver, but you brain demands to be refilled of memories based on a rainy chilly April of bemusement rather than a summer of passion and young, wild, love. 

It was a time like that, a strong memory like Paul the bus driver, when Marnie met Shane.

She remembered every little detail. The soft feeling of her dress, the booming voice of her mother and the squeak of her father, her parents letting their youngest daughter of 19 have only one glass of pumpkin ale, after all, it was a wedding, it was a time of celebration. 

In front of her was her older sister over 10 years older, introducing her one and only son. He was stuffed uncomfortably in a suit, but smiling none the less. He was polite, although nervous, but seeming to be interested in meeting all of his family. “This is your Aunt Marnie.” Her sister purred sweetly, her lipstick glazed mouth pushing the limits of her face. Shane’s height was around her own waist, and he had large watery eyes, almost desperate for approval from this stranger, his aunt. 

Marnie scoffed softly, rolling her eyes, shoving more of the pumpkin ale that was a taste of rebellion, before her mother squeezed her shoulders softly, a tight reminder to be polite to the sister she hasn’t seen in years. “Nice to meet you, Shane was it?” Both families saw the sarcastic smile, but Shane didn’t know any better. He beamed at her, happy to see a smile. 

This caught Marnie off guard, the look of genuine approval and happiness. She was older, she was beautiful, but she wasn’t so far into grown up land. They were the two youngest in the family, she was a fellow kid, she would understand….

If only she wasn’t at that age where she desperately wanted to be a grown up. 

Despite that, and despite the 12 years of age difference, that day, they were each other’s best friend. She was his translator when the adults went off talking about things he didn’t understand , and he was her distraction when her sister made off color remarks about her appearance. Drunk creepy uncles and over affectionate aunts swarming about, her beautiful sister seeming to steal the show, even though her wedding was ages ago. Despite her nursing the cup of pumpkin ale, she let her nephew have a sip, telling him how rules were meant to be broken every once in awhile. He was amazed at her wisdom. 

They both grinned a good bye, when they were told it was time to leave, before Shane piped out a small “You’re so cool Aunt Marnie! You’re my favorite!”

It touched her heart, because she was never anyone’s favorite anything.

She vowed to herself that he was her favorite nephew, even if she disliked kids. 

So when a burly gruff voice crackled on the other end of the phone, over 20 years later, her mind swirled full of dizzy disdain, pumpkin, and love, a memory her brain often slow danced to. 

“Aunt Marnie?” The voice questioned, hesitantly. “Listen, I don’t know if you remember me, I’m Shane, Stacey’s son. Can I ask you something?”

Shane almost heard the smile and warmth from the other side of the phone. 

“Shane! Why, I could never forget my favorite nephew!”

 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Shane was nervous when he placed the call, pretty much desperately asking for help. He was ready to plead his case, saying how he would never sit on his ass, he would work hard, he wouldn't fall deeper into the hole in the bottom of his heart, how sorry he was to never talk to her only to beg and cry for a place to stay, anything but the streets, please……

He started his speech, remembering the community college class on speech communication, state the overall topic, and then your points.

“Listen, I’ve fallen into a bit of trouble, and I need a place to stay, see what happened wa-”

“Oh! I don’t live in westside anymore, moved a while ago, I live in Stardew Valley, in a small place called Pelican Town.”

“Ok, listen I’m sorry it ca-”

“You know where that is right? It’s a bit of a heavy bus ride but-”

“Yeah, so, I have a few hundred dollars saved up so-”

“I’ll go get the room set up! It will be so nice to see you again, you can catch the bus tomorrow I think. See you when you get here!”

Then the line went dead, Shane blinking blankly and staring at the phone. His shame was now mixed with confusion, and a small warm feeling that for some reason, brought a taste of pumpkin to his tongue.

★☆★☆★☆★☆

When they saw each other for the first time, they were both shocked at each other’s appearance. Of course, Shane was no longer around her waist in size, but she didn’t expect… A man. A man who has seen too much. Seeming to almost limp into breathing even, disheveled, not looking like he showered in a while, tired, angry, ashamed… If it weren't for his large, watery eyes, she wouldn’t know it was him. 

In Shane’s mind, his brain didn’t decide to think about how she couldn’t look the same after 21 years. He remembers someone buried underneath hair spray and makeup and fancy dresses, so when he saw that she gave little to no care about her appearance, he wasn’t even going to talk to her, if she wasn’t the only one at the bus stop. If it weren't the large, wild, blazing eyes that seemed to contain a horse’s spirit of freedom and kindness, he wouldn’t of recognized her. 

She wrapped her arms around him, as he towered over her. “It’s so good to see you! You have grown up to be so handsome!”

He scoffed, lugging his one and only bag closer to him, “Don’t flatter me.” He was smiling, though. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

The room was small and barren, but it was way better than his last apartment. The bed was made neatly, a TV already set up, and furniture in the room. His aunt had been babbling on and on about her farm, her cattle, her chickens, her goats and bunnies…. While he had to admire the beauty of the woods around him. It was silent when he walked into the house and the room and surveyed it however. 

“Dinner will be ready in about an hour, so make yourself at home.” She said, breaking the silence gently, before twirling around to hurry around the tiny kitchen.

“Aren’t you curious?” He finally said, following her to the kitchen.

“About what, dear?”

“Where I was, why I needed help, why I fai-”

“Stop right there Shane.” She turned to him, frowning at him. “I don’t know what happened, but I know you are not proud of yourself for asking for help. But it’s alright, I don’t mind, if there is anyone I don’t mind helping it’s you.” She turned back to the stove, putting the pots and pans where they needed to be.

“My dear nephew, stay as long as you’d like. Don’t you worry about anything that you ran from, including yourself.”

He was amazed at her wisdom.

 

His very first drink when he visited the saloon for the very first time was a pumpkin ale. The tears in his sleep came with it for free.


	2. Jas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you see any grammar issues let me know, I wrote all of this in one sitting on my chromebook in the middle of the grocery store after volunteering after not sleeping for the night.

Shane was confused at first, when his itchy blanket was more soft and quilted was then he remembered. He didn’t feel any hard lumps of age and suspicious stains underneath him, but the soft firmness of a used but well loved mattress. The smell of animal, with some of the forest leaking in, instead of smog and dead bedbug. He opened his eyes to the sunlight pouring into his bedroom before his head reminded him of his activities last night, interrupting his train of thought with a hard slam, making his world shake and the light blinding. 

Another feeling overcame him: Guilt. He promised himself he wouldn’t go back to his old ways, and yet here he was, hungover and blank right after his first night here. It started hot on the bottom of his stomach, crawling and clawing like a hiker on his last leg. Higher and higher, tears starting to escape, until finally……..

Jas was staring at the supposed empty room, hearing the most inhumane sounds of her young life. She wondered if one of the cows somehow got in the room, but she counted them this morning, they were all present for breakfast! She frowned, racking her head, her imgination starting to wander to aliens. 

Marnie came back in, pulling straw out of her hair from feeding the goats, hearing round three of Shane hurling his guts out. She mentally patted herself on the back for putting a waste basket next to his near-lifeless body last night. She muttered a 'poor baby’ while preparing him a frozen pizza, something he requested when she went shopping last night. She then glanced at Jas, whose wide eyes were filled with wonder and confusion. She forgot in all the fuss to tell her! 

She knelt down next to her, affectionately fixing her bow. “I forgot to tell you, your cousin Shane is going to stay with us for a while.” She smiled softly, Shane’s round four making her face completely not fit the situation. 

Jas pondered her words as Shane gasped for air, yelling words she should not be hearing. 

“I didn’t know I had a cousin Shane.” Was her final verdict, before deciding her cereal was more interesting and going back to eating. 

Marnie went back to reading the directions of the pizza box, the world silent besides the forest and animals for a little while, before Shane slammed the door open, sweaty, and with vomit juice clinging to his chin. Jas stared at wonder at the man, him slowly turning pale at realizing the situation. 

“You didn’t tell me there was a child here!!!” He yelled at Marnie, more angry at himself than her. Clues from yesterday started putting together, including a box of children’s cereal he remembered when roaming the cupboards for food before leaving for the saloon. He admitted he didn’t think it was too weird, since he once in awhile put that sugary shit in his mouth. He assumed Marnie was the same way, but no, she was way too classy….

It was Jas’s turn to judge the situation, turning away to eat more cereal. “Your taste in men get stranger every day Aunt Marnie. At least Mr. Lewis isn’t a werewolf.” 

Marnie didn’t know whether to laugh or scream from embarrassment. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

“Y…..You’re sure he did it?”

Marnie was trying to remain calm, although every bit of her wanted to scream and cry for her mother, but her mommy had left the planet a long time ago.

“Yeah, it’s a shame really.” Stacey’s voice was as distant as usual, as if she read the news she was telling Marnie from the newspaper about some other country.

“A….And she saw the whole thing?”

Marnie was trying to hold her own hot tears in, that poor poor child.

“Well, there is evidence she was present. She doesn’t seem to…. Remember I guess? When the police finally got in the house after she didn’t show up for work, she was apparently in their reading room. She had blood all over her.”

Would it kill you to show a little concern, that phrase burned inside of Marnie. She sighed, keeping her emotions and anger in check, if only for her late sister's sake. 

“Send me a newspaper clipping.” 

“Yeah sure! I actually get free newspaper thanks to my work for the journalism helping their fundraiser!” 

Who cares, your little sister is dead Stacey, Marnie’s anger said, but she just kept her mouth shut. 

“Where will she go? Our niece?”

“Hmmm? Oh! Well, they asked me to look after her for awhile but….”

You don’t fucking care, finished Marnie, feeling her eyes roll. 

“..... I don’t know, kids are kind of creepy y’know? And like, haven’t you seen those horror movies, like the ones where kids see something bad and end up being murderers themselves.” 

Did she actually tell the police this?

“Besides, I turned Shane’s old bedroom into a place for my china, I don’t have any room to put her, y’know?”

Shane……. How was that boy?

“Hey, how is your son?”

“Hmmm? Oh! Uhm….” She clearly had to dig in her head into her memory vault, she heard her long fingernails tapping on the table from the other end of the phone. 

“Uhm…. He’s fine! Yeah, I think he works as a janitor or something.” How did Shane deal with this all his life? How did she…?

A beep from the phone snapped her back to reality. 

“Hold on, I got another call coming in.”

“Oh don’t worry about it, I have to go anyway! I’ll talk to you later! Love you!~♡”

She couldn’t switch over to the other line fast enough. 

“This is the Zuzu police department, is this Marnie?”

Marnie straightened her back, clearing her throat. 

“Uh, yes! This is her speaking.”

“I have some terrible news to tell you, unfortunately, about your older sister Katelyn…”

★☆★☆★☆★☆

SHOCKING SLAUGHTER SHAKES HIGH CLASS ZUZU CITY NEIGHBORHOOD

Everything seemed quiet, Thursday morning at East Monroe Street, a high class neighborhood, most notable for the living place of famous Longway direction Richard Hadsfield. However, when Katelyn [LAST NAME REDACTED IN NATIONAL EDITION] didn’t show up for work at the Killard college, her co-workers and boss got worried. “She is always very good at planning, and always the first to tell you when she can’t make it. It’s not like her to be completely silent ended.” 

It was then her body was discovered, stabbed over 70 times and beaten over the head over 10 times, according to onsite officers of the ZPD. Her husband, Jared [LAST NAME REDACTED IN NATIONAL EDITION], has been missing since the body was discovered, most of his personal belongings missing from their mansion. 

Friends of Katelyn have said that Katelyn has been suspicious of an affair and was going to confront him about it. However, apparently her life insurence was changed to their young 4 year old girl, Jas [LAST NAME REDACTED FOR NATIONAL EDITION] to be the sole beneficiary, just a day after voicing her concerns. 

Police refuse to comment on the status on Jas, stating that she is unharmed and nothing else.

If you have any information please call -

★☆★☆★☆★☆

“I have no experience with children.” Marnie said, feeling a twinge of guilt, fiddling with her hair.

“Plus, she wouldn’t be supervised very well, I run a ranch with a lot of animals and they need a lot of care.”

The policeman on the other end of the phone sighed. “Listen, this is just between you and me…. But we want her out of here. We don’t know where her father is, she saw the whole thing, she refuses to talk about it, but he doesn’t know that. She needs to be far away from here. For her own safety, please, even if it’s just for a short time. I think that place would do her some good too, she’s such a good kid, if I was related to her I would take her myself.” 

Marnie sighed, rubbing her eyebrows. Honestly, she had been wanting to grieve over the loss of her sister, but this police officer had so many questions and has been begging for the last 15 minutes. 

“All of her expenses will be paid, you will be sent a monthly check to cover all costs, this is just until we find her father, then we will get him in jail, and we will put her in foster care. Please…”

Marnie was almost there, he could tell.

She sighed, thinking of the horrible things that man did to her sister, and poor Jas seeing it all. 

“When will she be here?”  
★☆★☆★☆★☆

Jas was so fascinated by Aunt Marnie. She was so different, as well as her environment. Her beauty was natural and deep, her eyes fierce and hot, and her smile was more than welcoming and loving, as if she has seen Jas all her life. 

“Jas! I haven’t seen you since you were in diapers!” She was so beautiful, like a little fairy, hair sweeping and cheeks ever so puffy, and the look of wonder and curiosity examining the woods around her. She also had large watery eyes, she realized was a trait from her own father. Both of her sister’s have…..had… them too. 

“Are there fairies here?” Jas questioned, tilting her head a bit.

Marnie couldn’t help but smile, at how inquisitive she was. “So, you believe in fairies huh?” 

“Well, I don’t know….” She said, deciding to take her hand as they walked away from the bus station. “But if they do exist, I definitely want to see one.”

Marnie chuckled softly, squeezing the small hand. 

“Well, I have never seen one, but I haven’t seen a lot of things, but that doesn’t mean those things don’t exist.”

Jas was amazed at her wisdom. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

“Well, what do you think?” Marnie stared at Doctor Harvey, as he stared thoughtfully at his notes. 

“Well….” He started, clearing his throat, before peering closer to his notes, squinting through his glasses.

“She is incredibly gifted, extremely intelligent, very creative, very soft spoken, she’s like Vincent's mirror opposite…” 

“Doc…” She muttered impatiently, as Harvey sighed and put down the notepad. He always beat around the bush when it came to kids.

“Look, repressed memories are a tricky thing to deal with.” He said sighing, ruffling his fingers through his hair. “For all we know, she could never remember, she could remember tomorrow…. We don’t know! The human brain is way too complicated to understand with our current technology.”

Marnie sighed, not liking his answers, but knowing he was correct. “What if she does remember? What is she asks questions? Doctor Harvey, I’m terrified that I’m going to screw up this kid’s life!”

Harvey looked at her sternly, pointing a fatherly finger towards her. “None of this is your fault Marnie, you didn’t up and decided to murder your sister in cold blood in front of her daughter!”

Harvey regretted it saying it the way he did, seeing pain seethe through Marnie’s eyes. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, she’s a very intelligent girl. That is going to make things harder. I feel being truthful without going into detail, tell her her mother is dead and her father is missing, which isn’t a lie, but it isn’t the full truth.”

“But I already know that Doctor.” 

Marnie and Harvey jumped, a tiny frame peeking in the doorway. They both stared at her sheepishly.

Jas looked down, pouting a bit, before walking in the room. “I…. I wasn’t entirely honest with you Doctor…. I’m sorry……..Am I in trouble?” 

Harvey smiled gently, walking over to Jas and smoothing her hair down gently. “Of course not, sweetie. And I’m sorry for not being honest with you either. How about we both pledge to tell the truth hmm?”

Harvey gave a goofy grin, trying to lighten the mood. Jas stared at him with a stoic face. “I know something happened, I know no one else but me knows what, and I know I don’t remember.” Harvey’s grin was instantly punched off his face. “But…...I don’t want to think about it. My tummy hurts every time I try do it…” Tears started sliding down her face, her tiny lips quivering, staring at Harvey and Marnie. “Am…..Am I a bad person?”

Marnie looked at the girl, who had been through so much, who went through a hellish nightmare, and she was more worried about hurting the people around her. This little girl had more humanity than even her older sister. 

Marnie’s tears, which were always sitting on the border, escaped, shoving Harvey aside to hold this small angel, the best gift her sister gave to her, and pull her into her arms. Jas started straight out sobbing, the first true child like thing she did when she got there. 

“Auntie Marnie, I miss my mommy!!”

Marnie squeezed Jas as hard as she could without hurting her, starting to sob herself.

“I miss your mommy too….”

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Jas stared at Shane, now cleaned up, and sitting at the table, eating and slurping his now greasy and hot pizza as if it was the elixir of life. Marnie was not too far away, making a cup of coffee for herself to push herself to the next few hours of labor.  
“Sorry I called you a werewolf.” 

Shane looked up, raising an eyebrow, staring at her.

Marnie saw a hint of mischief light up in his eyes. 

“Don’t be sorry, I’m not sorry that you’re a squishy little girl.”

He gave a fake growl, pretending to have claws, and pretending to slash towards her.

Jas squealed, but giggled loudly afterwards. 

“Ew! Stop, that’s creepy.”

“We werewolves think you little girls are creepy too. I just tried to eat you!! And you giggled at my face!” 

He pretended to lunge his jaw at her, biting the air. 

Jas squealed again, grinning ear to ear, before batting him in the nose.

“Bad doggy!”

“Ow!”

Shane pouted childishly, holding his nose, staring at her, not being able to hold back a soft laughter.

“Wow, what a brat.”

“Hey!”

Marnie didn’t know it, but what she saw was healing, for Shane for Jas….

Even herself.


	3. Marnie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating this in a long time, I moved across the country and I currently work two jobs. Also, I am very happy to say Shane's heart events actually MADE MY STORY MUCH MORE PLAUSIBLE rather than throw my whole story out the window. Thank you so much ConcernedApe! As usual, don't be afraid to message me if you see any spelling or grammar mistakes.

_Marnie continued running, feeling the fresh mud explore her feet, hearing the same amount of laughter coming out of her own mouth lingering behind her. The forest was beautiful and alive, the first rain in about a month. It was thankful, damp, but smelling pleasantly to thank the heavens. It was a long trip to come here, but it was always worth it. It was her favorite place to be, at this time of year. And now, she had someone to share it with…._

_She felt the soft moss get in the way of her running, as she turned slightly so she didn’t land face first on a root, enjoying the cool grass she landed it, still dewey with rain. Footsteps came up behind her, laughing until the figure saw her on the ground._

_“Marnie?! Are you OK?!”_

_Marnie couldn’t help but laugh at his sudden voice change, full of concern. “Yeah, it’s ok, I trip in these woods all the time.” She looked up at the figure, watching dull green eyes scanning over her. “Care to join me?” She purred flirtatiously._

_The figure looked around, seeming to guess his options, but decided lying in wet grass with his girlfriend was worth it. “I don’t see what you like about this place, honestly though.”_

_Marnie pouted at him, before curling as close as she could to him. “It’s alive! It’s alive with the earth, not people. It’s alive in a way that doesn’t judge or doesn’t want to harm, only to protect and live. No spitefulness, no complications…” She looked over at her boyfriend, as he stared at her and scratched at his purple hair. Graceful, she sarcastically thought to herself._

_“Well, if it makes you happy….. Then it’s good enough for me.” A light smirk crossed his features, but leaning on top of Marnie. Marnie couldn’t help but grin._

_She felt his cold, shaking hands slowly slide under her shirt, shaking even more the closer her got to her breasts. She gave a small sigh of content, letting him know she was not going to stop him. However, that wasn’t enough._

_He quickly pulled away, his face red, and avoiding eye contact with her, before muttering out a sorry. Marnie looked up at him, face pink and eyes blazing. “David, I’ve told you many times, I love you. I want you, I’m attracted to you. It’s ok to want me to.” He looked down at her, scratching at his scruff nervously before sighing._

_“I’m so afraid of losing and upsetting you, Marnie. I love you so much….I feel like nothing but a filthy pervert sometimes….”_

_Marnie huffed, realizing she would have to scream louder then the demons in his head._

_She sat up abruptly, causing him to jerk a little, before grabbing her shirt and pulling it over her head. She saw the surprise in his eyes when he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra. He bit his lip a little, seeming to be focusing on the way her hair fell over her shoulders, eventually his eyes moving to her chest. “God Marnie, you’re so beautiful…….” It did seem to boost his confidence a little, pulling her close to him and kissing up her neck, shyly grabbing one of her breasts. She moaned softly, slipping her legs on either side of his waist. He was so gentle with her, always so afraid he was going to hurt her. However, the more his confidence rose, the more of him she could feel, lolling her head back and closing her eyes. She never wanted to forget the moment, never…..._

Marnie felt the soft blanket to her skin, as hints of smells of Lewis lingered in the air. Last night, if you have asked her how she felt, she would say beautiful, sexy, attractive, wanted…. Now, she felt the same way she always feels after their encounters: Ashamed. 

The last remains of her dream faded as her eyes fluttered open, as she tried to cling to the memory of her David making love to try and forget what happened last night. She slowly sat up, brushing her teeth and washing her face before brushing her hair with expert skill.

Many times, she woke up telling herself that it was the last time, that if they didn’t make their relationship public, she would break it off. She wasn’t a shameful secret, she was a woman who was also well respected in the community. There was no reason to hide her, no good reasons anyway…..

But he would always convince her, always make those small comments about how much she means to him, how he would tell the world if he could, and that he couldn’t live without her. Her soft wounded heart would accept these kind words she heard only once in her life, only for the cycle to rinse and repeat. 

She eventually got dressed, looking at herself in the mirror. Her body was glowing, her body was happy, her mouth was even smiling. But her eyes, her eyes looked sad. She sighed to herself, before breaking out of the room, the even more comfortable smell of animals making her smile, a little more naturally. She grabbed the feed, walking out to her chickens, making a small cooing noise to get their attention. 

To her surprise, Shane was already sitting near the chickens, also making small cooing noise, spreading the seeds evenly amongst them as the hens fluttered above, but once in awhile staring at Shane with curiosity, clearly not used to his presence. 

He continued cooing softly, once in awhile brushing a finger against one of their feathers, making them ruffle lightly, which brought a small genuine smile to himself. 

She almost couldn’t believe she was looking at the same person, he was so…. Relaxed. He was always friendly with Jas, and always gentle, but he never let his guard down, not even around Jas. (He told Marnie one time that he wasn’t a fan of kids, but kids seemed to really like him.) But this, this was different. She couldn’t help but smile, forgetting her problems for awhile, watching him softly talk to them, asking them questions about themselves. 

When Shane finally noticed her presence, he shot up straight, face crimson, brushing the dirt off his rear and clearing his throat. “Oh, uhm! I was…. Just….” He glanced at the feed in his hands. “F….Feeding the chickens for you. You woke up a little late, so uh, I wanted to… help out…” Her shit eating grin told him his excuses weren't working.

“You know, I do need a little help on the farm. You want to take over chicken duty?” She smiled knowingly at him, resting her hand on her hip. 

His eyes lit up, shoving his hands in his pockets to try and put a lid on his excitement. “Uh, yeah I mean, I do want to pay rent too but uhh….Helping you out is the least I can do for you.”  
She laughed, a deep one from deep within her stomach, throwing the heavy feed bag at him, him having to drop his own and grab that one. He stared at her, wide eyed, confused, and aweing at her raw strength. “There is nothing wrong with connecting with the animals Shane, not in this household. They don’t judge you, they always listen, and you’re the most interesting thing to them.” She beamed at him, and he gave a small chuckle, but was staring at his feet. “Enjoy the chickens, I’m going to the main stars.” 

She grabbed a barrel of hay and some amaranth, walking over to the stables, finding her own worries not gone, but sort of it in a bubble. She had her animals friend, and it took a goofy city slicker to remind her of that. He’s only been here a few weeks, but man.. She was more than happy he was there. 

She open the doors, the cows looking up at her, smiles in their eyes and they muttered and mooed their hellos. She took a deep breathe, yelling loudly to make sure Shane, still in the coop, could hear her. “HEY THERE MY BEAUTIFUL BABIES!!! LOOK AT YOUR PRECIOUS FACES!!!” 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

The world seemed to be feeling great, even kind of funny. Shane was giggling to himself about something, slowly walking home, but not before stopping and staring at the lake, letting the wind ripple the water through his fingers. He giggled to himself, before pulling himself up, He sauntered over to the ranch door, pushing it open with a grunt, seeing a small silhouette in front of the fireplace.

Jas turned around, relaxing when she saw it was just Shane, giving him a small awkward smile, scrunching her nose as the heavy smell of alcohol caught her nose. “You smell.” She muttered softly, which Shane just snickered at.

“Yeeeah. I probably do.” 

They both had their attention to the door of Marnie’s room, soft hushed voices coming from within. Shane’s bleary eyes looked confused, pointing a slow finger from Jas to the door, not be able to put two and two together. Jas eye’s were wide, before hearing the door handle jiggling, quickly hiding behind the door of her room, staring at Shane with wide eyes. Shane just gave a lax look towards the figure coming out of the room.

Lewis stopped in his tracks, staring at the obviously drunk Shane, who now had his nose up. “I smell a rat.” He gave a singular note laugh, before limping over to the dining table and letting himself have a seat. 

“So whadda you doin’ here sir? Isn’t it a little past business hours?” Shane gave a mocking, but dumb as hell grin.  
“What I’m doing here is between Miss Marnie and me.” Lewis hissed between his teeth, face lighting up to a soft cherry. Shane snickered, sitting backwards on the chair, resting his arms and head on the back of the chair. “Oh yeah? Well, what happens between you and me can be just between us then.” He gave a shit eating grinning to Lewis. He honestly didn’t know if that a threat, or if he was hitting on him.

Lewis cleared his throat, tucking an authoritative thumb behind his overalls, and giving Shane a nod. “Sir.” He then paced quickly to the front door, disappearing into the night before closing the door.

“Yeah yeh better run yeh rat.” Shane dragged himself to the fridge, grabbing a beer from the fridge, leaning on the door and chugging it down, some of the liquid dripping down his barely shaven face. Jas now came out of her hiding spot, walking towards to Shane, watching him with mild concern. After the can was drained, he threw the can on the floor, closing the frige and staring at her small figure.

“Whadda ya still doin up? Isn’t it waaaay past your bed time?” Jas nodded softly, pushing the chair softly towards him, which he flumped down on.

“I….I don’t like leaving her alone…. With him.” She frowned a guilty frown, glancing at Marnie’s room. Marnie had only recently told him why she was living her, so it took a minute of thinking to put it all together. “Oh! That’s why, because your father fucked your mother up, that’s right…” Jas’s eyes got huge, mouth even gaping in horror. If Marnie was there she would of skinned him alive. 

Shane seemed to notice her look, suddenly throwing himself on the floor and pulling her into a tight hug. She coughed a few times as the heavy fumes of beer smothered her. “Oh no baby! What happened wasn’t your fault, in fact the super opposite.” He ran his fingers through her hair, stopping to burp then pulling away, now kneeling in front of her. “Listen kid, if you wanna protect Aunt Marnie, we’re gunna do it together, alright?” Jas, who was now in tears and shaken up, nodded softly, while Shane’s eyelids suddenly got heavy.

“I’m gunna hit the sack, watch the house f’me till my shift to watch it ok?” She squealed out a sob, but nodded, Shane stumbling into his room. Jas got on her knees, feeling her chest tighten up and the world seem to close down around her. She has felt this before,it’s never been triggered off by another person before. Remembering what Doctor Harvey, she pulled into fetal position and tried to calm her breathing and counting backwards from 10. She muttered numbers through her sobs and tears, which started working after about 3 minutes, feeling her own eyelids get heavy. She curled fully on the floor, tears making a very tiny drop on the floor, until eventually, she passed out. 

 

Shane woke up the next morning with his head pounding, almost tripping over Jas who was asleep in the middle of the kitchen floor? Why was she doing that? Weird kid. He saw dried tears smearing her face, and frowned. What could've possibly happened? A nightmare? He picked her up, resting her head on his shoulder, making himself a cup of coffee and taking some aspirin, eating some cold pizza waiting for his head to at least be bearable. When at least the light stopped pounding on him, he slowly got up and went to Jas’s room, tucking her in and kissing her gently on the forehead. 

By the position of the sun, he woke up way earlier than he usually does, deciding to be helpful for once, he would do some of Aunt Marnie’s chores. He nodded, grabbing the smaller bag of feed and heading to the feed the chickens. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

When Jas finally woke up, she looked horrible, dark circles under her eyes, movement looking sluggish. When Marnie came in and saw her, she frowned and put her hand on her forehead. “Sweety! You’re burning up! I’ll tell Miss Penny you're sick today, you stay home, and I’ll fetch Doctor Harvey to have a good look at you.” Jas gave a small hum in response.

Shane walked in finally, Jas quickly looking away from him, while Shane staring at her, putting a hand on her head. “Hey, everything alright? You were sleeping on the floor this morning.”

Marnie turned around, a hand on her hip. “Young lady! You did what? No wonder you’ve caught something! As soon as you’re finished with your oatmeal you go straight to bed!” Shane had never seen Marnie so stern before, rubbing the back of his head guilt seeing her picking up his beer can from the night before and putting it in the trash bin. 

“Sorry…” He muttered, feeling over more guilt for drinking in the first place. 

“Just don’t do it again.” Marnie said softly, as Jas slammed her oatmeal spoon down and ran out of the room, avoiding Shane as much as possible. Shane watched her with curiosity not liking the vibe Jas was giving him.

“Everything alright with her?” 

Marnie shrugged, fixing herself up some food. “I don’t know, I’m having Harvey look at her later.” Shane frowned, wondering if something happened last night. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Harvey came right away, delaying his appointment with George by an hour, (He was thankful for that anyway) as soon as Marnie called. He felt bad for the poor girl, she has been through a lot and was dealing with more emotional range than most children her age. Her childhood has been stolen, and it was his and Marnie’s job to give it back to her.

He walked into the ranch, being greeted with the smell of fresh coffee, which he couldn’t help but smile over. Marnie always made it for him when he did house calls of any sort, she was such a sweet woman. Marnie popped her head out of the kitchen, cup in hand, a small worried smile forming. “Good, you’re here. You didn’t need to come so quickly, it’s not an emergency.”

“Ah, don’t be silly Marnie, a child’s health could affect them for the rest of their life. Something as small as a cold could ruin them forever.” He walked to Jas’s door, knocking softly, Marnie holding his coffee for him calling to Jas from behind him. “Jas sweetie, it’s Doctor Harvey, may we come in?” Harvey nodded to himself, noticing that Marnie was already giving her a sense of privacy, something veteran parents sometimes don’t understand. Jas responded with a soft approving groan, Harvey letting himself in. 

From across the room, he could tell Jas was off color, her eyes dulled with exhaustion. He pulled up a stool and sat by her bedside, giving her a gentle smile that she weakly gave back. “Hey sweetie, Aunt Marnie tells me you haven’t been feeling very well this morning.” Jas shook her head, staring at him. “Alrght, let me see what’s wrong.”

He did a full check up on. High fever, low energy, clearly not sleeping well, and she seemed a little nervous when she heard footsteps from a certain man. He hummed thoughtfully, before draining his cup down to the bottom and handing it to Marnie. “Would you mind filling this up for me again? I’m sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Marnie nodded, quickly taking the cup and almost trotting out of the room, taking care to softly close the door as to not startle Jas.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” Harvey asked kindly, shifting on the stool to make himself a bit more comfortable. Jas made a whimper like noise before deciding to sit up a little bit. 

“I had another panic attack….”

“I can tell. Did anything in specific flair it off?” Jas now looked uncomfortable, digging herself in the fluffy blanket. Harvey could see her big eyes starting to close up. “Come on sweetheart, part of recovery is figuring out what triggers you in the first place.” 

Jas thought about it, before slowly peaking out. “Shane….. I know he didn’t mean it…. He just had a little too much to drink but…..”

Harvey sighed, his mustache fluttering softly in annoyance. “Did he say something inappropriate to you?” Jas seemed to bury herself further in the covers. Eventually, Harvey having to lean in close to the bundle of blankets, he quietly heard what she heard, eventually a small sob being heard. He pulled the pile of blankets close to him, holding and shushing her softly Marnie walked in to see this, and quietly put his coffee on Jas’s dresser before leaving. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Marnie waited patiently at the kitchen table before Harvey walked out. Marnie turned to him, eager for his response. “Well, she had another panic attack, looks like set of verbally.” He glanced at the direction of Shane’s room, frowning a bit. “So…… tell me a bit about your nephew? He’s going to be staying here awhile, yeah?”

Marnie eyes lit up softly, which made Harvey feel a little bad. She went on about what a sweet, sensitive kid he was, and how he just ended up in a bad situation. Harvey sighed, adjusting his glasses. “Does he drink?”Marnie blinked in surprise before looking a little guilty.

“Well, yeah doc, but we all got our vices don’t we?” Harvey nodded reassuringly, but cleared his throat. “Listen, please inform your nephew not to be drunk around Jas. It seriously negatively affected her, and she’s been doing really well until recently. Do you think you can do that for me?” Harvey hated this part of the job, seeing the conflict in Marnie’s eyes.

“Y...Yeah…. It’s for Jas… so…”

Harvey put a hand on her shoulder, before walking towards the door. “I’ll put this visit on the tab, so don’t worry about it.” Marnie gave a small grateful smile that slowly faded into a frown and sighed.

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Stacey put up the final china plate in the collection before sighing in relief. It was finally done, and it all looked so good. She closed the glass cabinet, looking around the room which was bursting with expensive china. She had repainted the walls to a dull yellow to brighten up the room, and added floral decorative curtains to the two windows. It was perfect.

She heard softly shuffling behind her, and the dull green eyes of her husband came in, glancing around the room, giving a soft whistle. “Wow, I don’t even recognize the place.” 

Stacey beamed from the praise, turning around to him, her gentle lipstick stained lips broadly grinning at him. “I know! I should be an interior designer, this room is so much better now!”

Her husband frowned, scratching nervously at his stubble. “I think it was pretty good before….. Shane has a unique taste all his own.” Stacey’s eyes glazed over, not remembering who her son was for a moment before bursting in an odd polite smile. “If you say so I guess, he was always a slob….” 

Her husband narrowed his eyes a bit, wondering if he should try this subject or not. “So, speaking of Shane, have you heard from him?” 

Stacey looked up at him, confused on why he would want to know anything about him. “Hmmm…. I don’t know….” She chewed on her lip before it came back to her. “Oh! That’s right, he’s staying with Marnie now!”

Her husband stopped scritching his hair, his dull eyes lighting up and a small smile daring to cross his lips. “Marnie? That’s a name I haven’t heard in awhile, haha… How is she?” 

Stacey looked up at him, pouting childishly. “Fine I guess. I don’t know…. She’s a freak, so I don’t talk to her very much.” 

He frowned, about to open his mouth before his wife turned around and glared at him. “I didn’t think you liked her much, David.” His mouth twiched before grunting.

“Well, it was super sweet to take our son in, don’t you think?”

Stacey’s eyes lit up with rage, before stalking up to him. “I’m going shopping, goodnight David.” She waltzed out of the room, making sure to slam the door as loud as she could.

David groaned, watching her walk out, flinching at the door slam, thinking about how much he needs a drink right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for being patient, I will try to keep this more updated more often.


	4. Birds of a Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jas realizes her and Shane have more in common than she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will defiantly be more common updates on this. I PROMISE this time.

Jas was napping, dreams being dark and fuzzy, as they always were. Hints of bright lights occasionally peppered in, as if her childhood was trying to take over whatever the murkiness in her mind was. It never made sense, when Miss Penny asked about dreams, and Vincent talked about his, how he was a brave warrior, she never had dreams like that. It was then when she heard something louder than her dreams, something that shook her very soul.

Her eyes snapped open, the covers and sheets wet from her sweat. It took a moment or two for her world to stop spinning, when she realized what woke her up. There was yelling outside. In the house. It was terrifying. 

She slowly got up, walking towards the door, gulping as the floor squeaked underneath her feet as she pressed her ear to the door. She only calmed down a little when she heard the clear voices of Shane and Aunt Marnie. She cracked open her door, eyes watching the shadows as they interacted with each other in hot anger.

“I literally do not tell you to do anything else!!! Why can’t you do the one thing I ask you to???”

“Don’t you think I would be able to stop if I could???”

Marnie couldn’t believe how stubborn he was being about this seemingly stupid thing. It was a simple request, it wasn’t like she told him he couldn’t drink ever. He just couldn’t get that drunk ever again, and if he did he would stay with a friend. He claimed he didn’t have any friends in Stardew, but he must have at least one.

“This is ridiculous, I help out at the farm, I pay my rent, I literally do one thing and I’m a shitbag for it?”

Shane’s eyes were livid, more alive then she’s ever seen them. He shouldn’t be passionate about this, it ached her very soul.

“This is for Jas. I personally don’t care if you do crack, but it has affected her and she has been through enough.”

Shane’s nose went up, before stalking out of the house and slamming the door. Marnie took a deep breath, the conversation being terrifying for her. She thought she left this all behind when she left for the valley.

She walked in, looking for something to maybe settle the nerves that were jumbled in her stomach, when she saw a pale face peeking out from the bedroom. “Hi Jas, how are you feeling?” She smiled softly, happy to see that she was up and about. 

“A bit better…” She muttered, slowly walking out, her slippers making soft scraping noises on the hardwood floor.

“Want some hot coco? I got the fancy tiny marshmallows from the city.” She grinned at the young child, who nodded with a soft, weak, smile. 

After she started heating the kettle to boil the hot water, Marnie sat down across from Jas, whose eyes were dewy and glowing in the kitchen lights. “Do you think you’ll be well enough to go to your lessons tomorrow? It’s okay if not.” Jas pondered the questions, stretching her mouth a little. 

“May I rest one more day? I think after that I’ll feel better.”

“Of course my dear, take as much time as you need.” They both exchanged a smile. Marnie’s one of kindness and Jas’s one of gratitude. Marnie updated her about what happened on the farm while she was sleeping, a ritual that was usually reserved for dinner, until the kettle started whistling. Marnie put the powdered coco and the marshmallows in two cups, starting to pour the water, when Jas finally asked what has been bugging her in the back of her mind.

“Is Shane mad at me?” Marnie blinked and sighed, looking at the girls wide eyes, full of guilt and worry. She calmly put the kettle down and stirred the mugs one by one. 

“Sometimes, adults have so much responsibility with so many things, they don’t think it’s fair to be responsible for something else.” She gently placed the mug in front of her, sitting across from her. Jas grabbed the mug, sipping the liquid through the swollen marshmallows, eyes staring at her aunt.

“Is that why he’s mad?” Marnie nodded softly, sipping her own coco.

“He’s been through a lot, people come to this valley to get away from things, even themselves.” Jas gave a small thoughtful hum, staring at the bunny slippers on her feet. Marnie stared at her, before reaching out and putting her hand on the hand that was holding the mug. “Just be a bit patient with him, he’ll come around.” Jas looked up, having a smile that was more genuine this time.

“Okay Aunt Marnie. I believe you.”

After finishing her coco, Marnie walked her to bed and tucked her in, giving her a small kiss goodnight. 

Marinie sighed, dragging herself to bed after putting the cups and the kettle in the sink, and falling flat on the bed. She was wondering if her kindness was putting her in a bad situation.

★☆★☆★☆★☆  
There was a full tension within the house for the next, the cozy warm atmosphere was pretty much gone. Jas learned to either play outside, or go and play with Vincent. If she had to stay home because it was dark outside, she would play with her dollhouse. Marnie focused on her farm work, deciding that she would meet Lewis outside of the house when she could. Shane realized he could stay pretty late at the pub. All of them were avoiding being in the house with each other as much as possible. All of them hated it, but none of them knew how to fix it.

After two weeks of this tension, Shane woke up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat, chest tight, filled with fear and confusion. His dreams were vague, something about being locked out of the house again? But he was in the house. He thinks? Was this his room? His memory confirmed yes, but at the same time it all felt wrong.

He stood up uneasily, holding himself up uneasily by the door frame, his entire body shaking. Was he sick? Water? He needed water. He got a dirty cup in the sink, filling it with water and drinking from it. His hands were extremely shaky and just as sweaty as the rest of him. He dropped the cup in the sink, breaking it, uneasily hobbling to the chair in the kitchen and laying his head flat, shaking, feeling helpless; he had no idea what was happening. He was terrified and tired all at the same time.

Jas heard the cup shatter and her eyes snapped open, sitting up and glancing around, before quietly slipping out of bed. She famously slipped up to the door, and that’s when she heard crying. It wasn’t Marnie’s crying, she was very familiar with that sound. It was Shane. Her heart picked up, not exactly ready to confront Shane. What if he was drunk? It wasn’t fair to leave someone alone when they were crying though. He wouldn’t let her cry alone in the dark.

She swallowed her fear, slowly walking inside the kitchen, noticing that Shane was in such a manic state that he didn’t even notice her. The shaking and the sweat and the frazzled state of mind looked very familiar to her: he was having a panic attack.

She quietly walked over, taking a deep breath, making her voice as calm and even as Doctor Harvey’s would be. “Shane?” Shane tensed up, before looking at her with matching watery eyes, his being extremely bloodshot. He tried to croak out an apology, and tried to stumble out of the chair, but Jas grabbed his arm and gave him a serious determined look. “Shane. Listen to me… Please?” Shane, still soaked with sweat, nodded slowly, seeming to try and find a threat in any point of her face. 

“5 things you see.” She said calmly, rubbing his arm. His eyebrows furrowed, starting to pull away. 

“W….What? I don’t have time….” Her grip on his arm tightened.

“Five things you see….Please…..” She looked into his eyes, until he took a shaky breath.

Shane looked around the room. “You…. The table…. The microwave… The sink…..My hands.” Jas smiled softly at him, rubbing his arm gently. 

“Good. Now four things you hear.” Shane’s brows furrowed. In the quiet night, that was a little harder. 

“You…… The wind outside…. The house creaking…. Chickens clucking”

“Good. Now three things you smell.”

“Me….. Dinner from earlier…. Animals.”

“Two things you feel.”

“The table…. My jacket.”

“One thing you taste?” She smiled softly at him, rubbing his arm still.

“...The pizza I ate for dinner.”

“Good. Now count backwards from ten.”

He counted silently to himself, Jas getting up and slowly leading him to his bedroom. By the time he was done counting, he seemed a lot more calmer, tears now silently streaming down his face. 

“Lay down.” He slowly laid on the bed, his body heavy as it started trying to soothe itself from panic. Jas sat next to him, watching as his heavy eyes finally closed, until he started softly snoring. 

★☆★☆★☆★☆

Marnie woke up, made breakfast and coffee as she usually did, and went to wake up Jas. Her heart dropped a little when she noticed the empty bed. She told herself not to worry too much, this was a very small town and she wasn’t a troublesome kid, so she probably didn’t get kidnapped She walked into Shane’s room, about to ask him if he knew where Jas went, but smiled softly when she looked at the bed. 

Jas was sleeping peacefully next to Shane, who was tightly wrapped up in his covers and snoring. Jas was snuggled into his back, holding him tightly, almost protectively. She quietly closed the door, deciding to leave their breakfast in the fridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my fic! Take a look at my profile to follow my tumblr or twitter! And please check out my other fanfics!


End file.
